If Car of the Year juries were seated like criminal trial juries, Volkswagen's lawyers might have used up their peremptory challenges dismissing the lot of us. They'd claim we had been poisoned by the launch coverage of the company's supersized Yank-tank B7-generation Passat. Harsh auto-show lighting made the car look like a freshened version of Chevy's little-loved Impala; early punditry slammed the interior as drab, plain, and cheap-looking; and news that the moaning I-5 we loathe in the Golf-class cars would be the mainstream engine seemed like strike three. Making things worse were VW's concurrently announced plans for world domination, which, combined with the above impressions, seemed to suggest that VW was saying "Vee unterschtand zat to sell lots of zees cahs to you fat Dummkopfs, zay need to be bland like Camry."

Unlike GM and Ford, which are consolidating regional platforms and introducing world cars, Volkswagen's larger new Passat will sell only in North America and China. The car and the strategy raise serious questions: Can an American-born-and-bred Passat be German enough to please the VW faithful? Can anything with a VW badge pry large numbers of people out of their Accords and Camrys? Can such conservative styling turn the heads of the legions on their way to Hyundai? Out on the test track, in the high-desert sunshine, three Passats spanning the range of powertrain and trim levels did their best to answer these questions, presenting evidence in each of our six criteria and gradually whittling away at our editorial preconceptions. Let's read the court testimony.

ADVANCEMENT IN DESIGN
Granted, from 50 feet or in a two-dimensional photograph, the Passat engages the eye less than does the splashy "fluidic design" of the Hyundai Sonata, but closer inspection reveals exquisite detailing. Our own expert witness, Tom Gale, gets the ball rolling: "The package provides good accommodation, and like the Audi [A6], what is remarkable is the restraint shown with the handling of the design. Clean, beautiful surfaces have been refined for an engaging result. The upper character line, with its subtle undercut, is an example of the care taken with the stampings throughout." Engineering guru Chris Theodore found the exterior "tastefully executed with really tight shut lines and nice detailing." The result is sort of a time-release appeal that blossoms upon close scrutiny or when hand-washing the vehicle. It's a less flashy design than the Sonata's, but way more cohesive than the Accord's.

There's nothing trendy going on inside, either, which may let it age more gracefully than bolder designs. Gale admits the design "breaks little new ground, but the grain, gloss levels, and material choices are tasteful." He and others criticized the choice to prioritize the dash vents over the multifunction display, the low placement of which looks dated and represents an ergonomic back-step. Ditto the fiddly turn-signal-stalk cruise controls and the entertainment system's lack of a USB port (Bluetooth and an SD card are supported, and there's a 1/8-inch aux jack). But the car's functions can be intuitively controlled without consulting the owners' manual -- something Accord owners may appreciate.

This yankee doodle Vee-Dub evinced 100-percent german DNA with its body motion control and eager dynamics.

ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE
OK, the engineers among us dislike odd-numbered cylinder counts like this 2.5-liter's, but Theodore grudgingly admitted, "It's the best-tamed VW I-5 application ever. The thrashiness has been masked, and the engine is very quiet. A fine choice for middle America in real-world driving conditions." Your technical director's log reads: "This 2.5 appears to have finally found a good home," with praise for strong launch torque that keeps pace with the competition to 30 mph thanks to short gearing (its 9.0-second 0-60 time trails the competition notably).

Characterizations of the engine note ranged from "moaning" to "unique growl," but the general consensus was that the powertrain integration team earned its kibble. Sure, we wish it were a sprightlier sprinter, but we expect a direct-injected and/or turbocharged four-cylinder replacement to arrive soon.The turbodiesel found no detractors. "Hands down, my favorite," declared product expert Jim Hall. "This diesel puts the hybrids on the trailer," said Lassa. "Pulls this car around so easily, and gives you 600 plus miles to a tank," added Evans. Pair this clean diesel with "one of the best twin-clutch transmissions in the business," said Theodore, and you've got a green car "without the compromises the mainstream green vehicles impose -- a true technological achievement." And for those who need more power, the compact VR6 teams with that same twin-clutch automatic to deliver class-stomping acceleration to 60 mph in just 5.7 seconds.

EFFICIENCY
It should surprise no one that over the course of 11 mixed-driving loops, our diesel Passat recorded the highest fuel economy stats of this year's finalists at 34.3 mpg. Perhaps more interesting was the base 2.5-liter's fifth-best 26.5 mpg -- that's exactly halfway between the EPA city and highway ratings of 22/31 mpg. That's higher within its EPA-predicted economy range than any other finalist managed, and the second highest was the TDI/DSG at 43 percent of its 30/40-mpg points spread (we didn't run the VR6 on our fuel-economy loops). This bodes exceptionally well for real-world achievability of the Passat's window-sticker numbers. Not penurious enough with the petrol? Opt for the base five-speed manual in the SE to eke out one more highway mpg, or the six-speed manual TDI to earn an even better 31/43 mpg.SAFETY
Like every new car in the segment, the Passat gets six airbags to cushion the occupants if it all goes wrong, plus stability control, tire-pressure monitoring, ABS, brake-assist, and myriad other electronic aids to prevent things from going wrong in the first place. But what's more fun to talk about under the safety rubric is how well the Passat's chassis is tuned to keep it out of trouble, because well-driven, agile cars are less likely to plow into things than poorly controlled, flabby, clumsy ones.

Lassa enthused, "Chassis, steering, ride, and handling all are tastiest within this mostly taste-free vanilla segment." Reynolds proclaimed the Passat "substantially more integrated and driver-attuned than the Camry. In the figure eight, its braking, turn-in, cornering, and exit are all fluidly linkable with less roll and better road feel." Indeed, despite slower acceleration and slightly worse braking performance relative to the base Camry, the Passat SE circulated our figure-eight course 0.4 second quicker at the same 0.60g average. This confirms Reynolds' impressions, proving that the VW corners far stronger than the Toyota. "Steering feels perfectly weighted for this car." Driven against three market-equivalent examples of the sales-leading Camry, this Yankee Doodle Vee-Dub evinced 100-percent German DNA with better body-motion control, less tire noise, and more eager dynamics in every situation. In short, it drives way smaller and more scintillatingly than it looks.

VALUE
Here's where VW's $4-billion Chatta-nooga plant investment pays off for U.S. buyers -- by insulating us from the strong Euro currency that forced the outgoing Passat 2.0T to sell as a Eurochic niche player, base priced at a heady $27,945. That kind of money will buy a nice TDI nowadays, while the mainstream 2.5 SE opens at $20,765. Thirty grand buys a range-topping VR6 that handily out-chics and out-streaks the old EuroPassat, not to mention the V-6 or turbo variants of its family-sedan competitors.

Ownership costs are also further suppressed by VW's Carefree Maintenance Program, which picks up the tab for all scheduled stops during the 3-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty.Of course, in the back of our skeptical minds was a nagging impression that VW quality and reliability lag those of Toyota and Honda, eroding the long-term value proposition. Apart from a dash buzz in one of our test cars, we found no evidence to support this collective prejudice, and Volkswagen officials argue that perception is lagging reality on the quality front. Prototype testing and evaluation have been stepped up dramatically in recent years, and a recent J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction Index poll suggests it's paying off. Asked what percentage of their trips to the dealer were for repair versus maintenance, respondents ranked VW seventh at 31 percent -- that's tied with Infiniti, two spots back from Honda (25 percent), and above both Nissan (34) and Toyota (43).
PERFORMANCE OF INTENDED FUNCTION
It's in this category the bigger Passat really shines. Its family-schlepping credentials are impressive. With nearly 49 cubic feet of rear-seat space, "I can comfortably cross my legs while sitting behind a driver seat set to my 5-foot 11-inch height," noted Loh. Jurnecka proclaimed it "like a limo in back -- a great budget Audi." Add to this a usefully cubic 15.9-cubic-foot trunk with split-folding seats and set it all down on a chassis with the moves to make an enthusiast smile, and we've got a pretty interesting new dog in the midsize-sedan fight.As for our jury? The verdict is in: Volkswagen's less-boring-than-it-looks, 100-percent-German-driving Passat is Motor Trend's Car of the Year.

CLOSEST VOTE EVER
Editor-in-chief MacKenzie always asks his 10 fellow COTY judges for their top three picks. This year, the voting was tied 5-5 (with one errant vote) between the Passat and Chrysler's 300. It was still tied after a count of second-place votes, and the Passat eked ahead only after third-place votes had been counted. Two worthy cars. But there can be only one...

I have just over 33k miles on my 2012 Passat TDI SE 6sp manual. Here are my observations:

Purchase to date - I'm averaging 47 MPG with between 45% - 60% being city driving. My best highway was a sustained 56 MPG when I drove the posted highway speed limit. It was quite the challenge because -

Torque (236 lbs.) - In every gear you can snap your neck back into the headrest! Though the torque cliff is around 4,2k RPM you'll be up-shifting well before hand if not going full throttle.

Fit & Finish - I have a triple black Passat with the 17" Continental Pro Contacts. All season tires but I know that this New England Winter will be a challenge because of the torque - though I'll most probably start off in 2nd. or even 3rd. in snow or ice.

Body, creases, and fitment - All seams are very well calibrated;as is the finish.

The ride - If you are a fan of German chassis rigidity you won't be disappointed at all. Handles bumps, speed-bumps, uneven terrain exceptionally well. Active dampers keep you strait up.

The front seats are firm and very supportive. The leg room up front can handle anyone up to 7' with no problems. Where I was used to setting the seat all the way back on my older Volvo XCountry and Honda Odyssey I don't come close on this one and I'm 5'11". Then there's the rear seat -

It's cavernous to say the least. It's clean, comfortable, and very spacious. I used to drive a BMW 750iL and this Passat comes very close to the rear legroom space. The trunk -

It's freekn' huge - No problem packing four standard golf bags into it along with all the incidentals for four players. The rear seat-release latch is located in the trunk for both seat backs. Pull the lever and push or pull either seat down. The seats almost fold down flush but not perfect. The spare (3/4) tire is located under the rear main floor. The DPE (Urea) tank is on the near right side of the trunk. A single tank of DPE will most assuredly last a minimum of 10k miles.

This is my first VW Branded car. It won over my short-list competition of: Acura TL - SHAWD, Infinity M-37x, and Honda Cross-Tour. Honestly, the TDI's fuel mileage and overall performance is a win-win!

Interesting to note the exchange between VeeDub4LF and Schum1F1Fan. I am researching cars since my current car is getting up in years (16 yrs, 170K miles). One of my sons recently bought a VW, and I am impressed. My SIL in Germany just told my wife that her son's VW quit on him and it was going to cost 7,000 Euros to replace "the pump". I flipped out when I heard this. What kind of a car needs a pump that costs almost 35 to 50% of a reasonable purchase price? So, I went on line today to read up on what is being said about VW. This is not the only site where I have found references to $10,000 repairs for a VW. I appreciate reading VeeDub4LF's post. I happen to think it's valid. VW has a problem which I will keep in mind as I continue to evaluate what car (if any) will replace my trustworthy 1997 Camry V6 which I love to show off with when challenged by a VW, even a Beamer. I have been beaten, but not by a VW. (It was a little Honda with one of those speed kits.) My old Camry will still go in excess of (censored) and peel just a tiny bit of rubber. I suspect SchumiF1Fan is a shill for VW. What is your position with VW Sir/Ma'am? How long have you been in their employ? Alles mit humor gemeint lieber Freunde! Hang in there "Volkswagen for life", I take it you are a true VW lover and are voicing a legitimate complaint. Bravo!

Just traded our 2011 Camry on a Passat SE. Good riddance. Camry was reliable,yes but driving it is best described as 'flabby' and boring. Horrible re-sale value, BTW. But enough abt. negatives; on to the positive:

The driving dynamic and sheer joy of the superior handling of the Passat sold us. My husband and I have been watching/reading abt. the car since its winning COTY. Motor Trend did a recent comparison[ Dec.2012] of most of the Passats' competition, Honda, Toyo, etc. and the Passat won again!

With abt. 500 miles on it, we are excited abt. our upcoming ' Super Trek' 5-week round-trip vacation from our North Carolina home to California [visiting as many Nat'l Parks as we can]. Let's DRIVE!!

Just traded my A3 TDI for a Passat TDI SEL> AWESOME CAR! B-U-T, the absence of seat bottom tilt is inexcusable for the top of the line sedan from VW! German engineering compromised by American bean counters????

This is a NO brainier... Do you want a nice car for less than $200 a month... Simply lease this car for 3 years.. Give $3000 drive off and you will have a nice, decent good looking VW with service and guaranty covered for your 3year lease at the manufacturer's expense.. This is not an Audi but certainly not a Hyundai... You will also be happy to know that you're helping American workers in TN's plant as it is finally assembled there. That's what I did and I am quite happy cruising in beautiful sunny CA on a VW that is not my '73 Beetle anymore.

The v6 for all it offers for 30k is a nice car. Real fast rides like a euro car should in the corners I like it and can see why it would get coty. but the volume leader 2.5 motor sucks It;s the best implementation of it ever in this car but is just such a pos motor. the rest of the car is great. Vw if you are listening sll you gotta do is have say a 1.8 turbo or even 1.6 with around 170hp ans some good low down torque it would be so much better and get better mileage. The only car I see that can compete will be the next accord but cvt transmissions are not generally very good.

VW's CR 2.0 TDI engine still has a serious design problem. The high pressure fuel pump's are prone to failure and if it fail's out of warranty it is a $10,000+ repair bill as it contaminates the entire fuel system with metal shavings. VW has done nothing to ease the worries of current TDI owners that are getting close to being out of warranty. Stay away from the current 2.0 TDI until they fix the problem or warranty this fuel system past the normal warranty!!!!!!!!!!Read more about it here >forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=284441

As a car enthusiast, who has become extremely jaded at auto journalists and their almost total lack of appreciation for any car that won't pull one g on a test track , I feel that your car of the year review of the 2012 VW Passat is one of the best pieces of automotive journalism I have read in ages. I am unabashadly a Chrysler person but felt that your choice of the Vdub was very well rounded and very well explained. As a Canadian it would be nice to get diesels available in alot more vehicles. A thirty five to forty mpg crossover would be heaven. Keep up the good work, it's much appreciated.

Let's see... there is no other sedan in this size and price range that offers this type of handling, reliability, class, style, ride quality, intuitive features, safety, engineering, performance and warranty. Overall the best value period. Safest in its class. Most fuel efficient in its class. Most standard features in its class. Most legroom & cargo space in its class. Best performance and power in its class... and you get 3years of care-free maintenance & 24/7 Roadside assitance for free. They did all of this for a reason. YOU WOULD BE AN IDIOT TO BUY ANYTHING ELSE IN THE SAME PRICE RANGE.

I'm now into my second week in my 2012 Passat SE w/sunroof and couldn't be happier. I've owned several worthy makes over the years--VW, BMW, Volvo, Mercedes, Saab--and know what a European car should feel like. So when it came time to buy a mid-range family sedan (three kids), I opened it up to the Sonata, Optima, Mazda6, even the Fusion, to be fair. At the end of the day I settled on the Passat because of its interior size, fit and finish, and, yes, styling. In black/black, my car is far from boring. Serious maybe, but not boring. In fact the new Passat is the antidote to the silly swoops and curves of the Japanese makes. It's all a matter of taste, but the styling of the new Passat--inside and out--will wear well over time where the little "spaceships" from Japan will date themselves with every annual makeover. I've already received several complements on its looks. The Passat well deserves to be COTY.

Just looked at this car yesterday. I went in, really wanting to like this car. First comment is one of safety: it is impossible to manually open the locked rear doors if the electricity is out, even if the child safety lock is disengaged. This is a HUGE SAFETY CONCERN. Our kids are trained to know how to open the rear door locks manually, should we have some kind of accident occur where the electric locks don't work, such as driving into a lake (forget about "the computer unlocks the doors in an accident"--break the battery cable and you're dead in the back seat). Amazing omission by VW. Next comment: I can't see how the Passat could earn Car of the Year. We looked at the beige interior. There is such generous use of hard plastics, it looks cheap and dated. The rear view mirror has a ring of the same cheap plastic around it which really looks bulky. I dislike the "leatherette." Just say vinyl. We didn't even bother with a test drive because of the rear door lock issue.

I was heavily disappointed in the drive and features of this vehicle. It was equally boring looking at it outside as it was to drive. I know it's no race car, but to call the vehicle 'dynamic' in any way would be a lie. It is just another camry/accord. Boring and incredibly pointless, much like those who are interested in them. If this offends you, prove me wrong.

As a 2 time previous VW owner, I can vouch for the fact that VW remains the best built car and best value for the money anywhere. Build quality inside and out was outstanding on the 2 Jetta's I have previously owned. Each time I turned one in it still drove and felt like it did the day it came off the lot. In 6 yrs of VW driving I had only one issue, a cooling sensor that was replaced in under 24 hrs.

@CIK607, I can imagine that many of the people that have had reliability issues with VWs get their cars serviced at sketchy local mechanics instead of the dealership. That having been said I think it's fantastic that the first 3 years of maintenance are included with the car so that should help. I plan on taking care of my new Passat like you take of your cars and hopefully I can be added to the list of people with no VW complaints.

I own a 2008 Passat with 6-speed manual transmission and I have NEVER replaced a clutch, throttle, exhaust, or anything. My car is never broke and has never even been in the shop. As long as I keep and oil change everything is fine. I also drove my car off the lot brand spanking new. Now, as a loyal VW owner (2 Jettas, a Beetle, and my Passat), I've come to know that VWs are EXTREMELY temperamental cars so you must get all your maintenance on time and ONLY at the dealership or certified VW mechanic. If you do that, you're home-free! Maintenance is expensive so as long as your prepared for that, VWs are THE BEST!!!

I just bought a top of the line V6 SEL Premium model and so far I love it. It is a simple yet quality car. I have never owned a VW car in my life and I was hesitant but the value of this car is off the charts in terms of the features it offers. I bought an extended warranty with it so that I'm covered to 75,000 miles bumper to bumper since I heard of some reliability problems. But it's amazing so far, loving my new car!

I own a 2008 Passat and want to warn anyone that is thinking about buying a VW that these are the least reliable cars on the planet. In the 60,000 miles I have driven this I have replaced the clutch, cam shaft, throttle body, whole exhaust system, and it has been in the shop for many electrical problems. It also burns a quart of oil every 1000 miles and the check engine light comes on at least 1 once a week. I drove it off the lot new. I know this is an updated car that is much different than the one I drive but do not say you were not warned. When it is not broke it is an amazing car but it is always broke.

While the Passat is far from one of the most exciting cars of today, that is not what it is meant to be. Instead, it offers practicality, affordability, and efficiency. All while providing a nicely equipped, styled, and comfortable interior.

I recently purchased base S model, manuel transmission. I love it. Plenty of pep vs 6 automatic in my opinion. No bells and whistles other than what I really need/want in a car. And I am quite sure a lot of love went into building my car - and all VWs out of the TN plant. Glad to see VW received COTY !

You say "nichts besonderes" -- that's 'nothing special', for those who don't speak German. Could it look better? Of course it could. It could look more like the CC, but it differentiates itself from the Japanese and Korean cars.I say, you should go see this car in person - and go drive one. I did that last weekend, and I was quite impressed. This is a very good car for the price. It is solid, quiet, and drives well. If I were in the market for a large sedan, I would consider buying one. I'm more of a 5-door fan, though, so we bought a SportWagon TDI 6-Speed manual. Over two years, our average mpg is about 40, mostly in daily city driving. I think it's great that VW is making the new Passat in Chattanooga. I'm looking forward to more new models coming out of this plant.

I was looking forward to the COY issue. This years selection really surprised me. What we have here is very vanilla looking car. They should have named it the VW Bland. It is not particularly efficient. Oh yes there is the diesel that gets about 30% better mpg, but then diesel fuel costs 30% more than gasoline. I suspect that Accord and Camry people might take a look and determine it looks a lot like the car they already and then go buy another Camry or Accord. I want to wish VW a lot of luck on world domination with looks and engineering like this.

My goal is to have more people put pressure on VW to fix a horrible design and give some type of assurance for the customers that have already purchased a VW CR TDI. Either through an extended warranty on the pump or a pump recall. If you have 50,000 people asking VW WTF is up with this pump they may do something. True Diesels will not run with gas in the tank...but how many past designs result in a $10,000 complete fuel system replacement? It is fairly common in the US to have poor quality fuel, not just gas in the fuel but also water as well as the lower lubricating properties as compared to EU Diesel. People should know that they are rolling the dice if they decide to keep this car past the warranty like most TDI owners aim to. Rolling the dice on your next fill up being sub par fuel and you having to make a repair equal to half what the car is worth or more. I had a HPFP failure at 18,000mi on m 2011 Golf TDI, no contamination ever only filled at large truck stops. VW has let us down.

Ok, VeeDub, what exactly is your goal here? To scare people away from diesel VWs, of which thousands and thousands have been sold to happy customers.I'm an engineer,and I've done my own research on the NHTSA Investigation, # EA11-003. Of course, there appears to be an issue with fuel pump failure, but you have to dig a little deeper. In about 90% of the cases, there was gasoline in the diesel fuel. Was diesel fuel at the filling stations contaminated, or did someone actually put gasoline in the diesel VW? Who knows? What I do know is that no diesel car, from any manufacturer, will run with a mix of diesel and gasoline in the tank. It's been a couple of weeks since I researched this, and after reviewing the NHTSA file and speaking with people at VW, I am convinced that the diesel fuel pump failure in TDI models is not a large scale issue. In fact, I read that the failure rate for 2010 vehicles was 0.11%.VW TDIs are great cars. There are four in our family, and none have had any issues.

I am a VW fan, have been for years. That said if you want a Diesel either get a used VW (prior to 08) or go BMW. The new VW TDI is one of the worst designed cars on the road. Any car that can have a $10,000 fuel pump bill is a looser in my world. This is no Ferrari, we expect more from VW. They keep failing by the day. Read all about it.http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=286380http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=299854VW's dirty little secret. Buy at your own risk.

I really appreciate living in a country where we have the right to free speech. We should enjoy our freedom. That said, however, it very sad that this 'STORY' of the diesel fuel pump failure seems to be brought up over and over again. Before you get scared away from buying a great diesel VW, that gets around 40 mpg in town and 50 mpg on the highway, without hybrid hyper-miling driving, you should go test drive some of these cars, and do your own research.Once you drive a VW TDI, you will become a diesel fan.

The Jap crap is on the wane. It is time once again for our beloved Germany to abolish the inferiors, to rid the world of junk automobiles.My friends, this is the future. No longer will we be coerced to drive soulless cars designed by ungrateful, revenge filled Asians. We will eliminate the scourge of inferior Jap cars.

The nonsense of unreliable VWs is outdated. I had one of the first Rabbits in 1975, a 1977 Rabbit, and now a 2008 GTI. The GTI has proven as reliable as Tacomas-in fact the Toyota required more maintenance. Germans have the prowess, and technology.

When the High Pressure Fuel Pump fails...and it will. It is a $10,000+ fix on the TDI. Think twice abour saving a few bucks at the pump and just get the gas powered one. VW needs to fix it's TDI design.

LETS BE REAL HERE.This Car Diserved The Award.All you prissy people complaining cannot get over the fact that Volkswagen Group has become super competitive. The past is the past with Reliability, and from 2008+ All Volkswagen Cars are Average to Above Average in that segment. Many Other makes Domestic and Imports score much less in Reliability.GetOverTheFactThatBORING PLASTIC FILLED TIN CAN VANILLA CARS are no longer winner CAR OF THE YEAR.Side note, The same people complaining here about the Passat are also in the other forum (SUV OF THE YEAR) saying how a HONDA CRV or TOYOTA RAV4 Should of won. GIVE ME A BREAK.

When you google high pressure fuel pump failures in TDIs be sure to read the articles, too, and not just the subject lines.If you do you'll find that even the people reporting these problems say they rarely occur.

The comments about "real men" not driving the Passat are laughable, and that's being charitable. The Passat is primarily a family car, like everything else in its class, and not just for single men, gay or straight.BTW, there is less than half a second difference between 0-60 times for a V6 Camaro and a V6 Passat. (The Camaro takes 6 sec., the Passat 6.4.) Sounds pretty manly to me.

VW reliability? Like most brands, it varies. My 1999 B5 Passat 1.8T finally needs some major work...after 2 teenagers have abused the manual transmission for 5 years. 2002 Beetle Turbo S was a blast, but body parts started falling off after 5-6 years and both EGR and anti-lock systems failed at the 7/8 year mark. 2006 Audi A3 2.0T blew an injector at 50K but otherwise fine. 2007 B6 Passat Wagon 2.0T, bought used for a song due to an electrical system problem, was fixed at no charge by VW and has been a charm...only improvement would be a diesel engine. 2011 Sportwagon TDI is a jewel. I still own all but the 2002 Turbo S (my wife isn't out of mourning, yet). I guess you can argue second hand information or extrapolate from one example to damn the brand. I've been pretty pleased with the performance, safety, reliability and service I've received over the past 12 years.I've test driven the 2012 Passat TDI and agree with Motor Trend; it will be my next purchase.

Excellent post, Danny428!VW has come a long way and continues to improve. We love our TDI and are averaging around 40 mpg in daily driving -- and about 50 on the highway.Quality, ride, and comfort are on par or better than our BMW, and cost of driving is much lower, even with diesel prices higher than premium.If we needed another car, we would definitely consider another VW TDI.

I subscribed to Motortrend, Autoweek and a few other car magazines and mostly the reviews are great for the Passat. I have owned BMW X5, Acura MDX, Ford Explorer, Saab 92X, Toyota Camry, Honda Civic and a few other cars. I just bought a VW Passat TDI and even my wife love it more than any other cars, and our 2 other cars are driving great. People should go test drive the car if they are in the market instead of listening to clueless posters who think "real men don't drive Jetta, Passat, Beetles or Audi." Sounds like some stuborn people are still stuck in the 60's believing American cars are the only ones that are muscle cars. Grow up. Outside of your cave.As for the poster who commented that VW are cheaply made, do you get out much? The VW Passat's quality is about the same as the X5 we got.I have friends who are car buffs and love their VW Passats and Golf just as much as their BMW or Mercedes. Go compare the Passat with the Camry or Accord, both on and off the road, then we'll talk.

The VW Passat as COTY? Motor Trend must be in need of new advertising dollars. Seems as if the only people defending MT's choice here are current or new VW owners (imagine that). In a couple of years this POS will be riddled with "nagging" problems and reliability issues just like most cheaply made VW's of past/present.

@svms12; I can appreciate a well made car like the Passat as much as the next person, but most people buy cars as an extention of their personality. Most of the cars made these days are of high quality and build; excellent performance and ride. My comment was for the judges, of which I'm willing to bet a couple "gay" guys were in there voting for the car that best reflects their personalities. This isn't about the COTY as much as it is about pushing your own liberal agenda on the rest of the Country. I just hate to see a car magazine go "political" like this. The Subaru or the Lexus are much better cars. The Kia Rio has more style to it than a Passat. Personally, I don't want a bunch a girlie boys picking a COTY. And in my opinion, real men were lacking in this so called contest! Perhaps you are still young, but there are certain cars that scream "I like boys" and you need to decide if you want to be driving them.

Of course the COTY is always a controversial matter and will not please everyone. But I think most folks will agree that the Passat and Jetta are both cars that are prefered by single gay men. You see a guy driving a Passat or Jetta and my money says 9 times out of 10, he's gay! Real men don't drive Jettas, Passats, or Beetles, or Audi's for that matter! I'm so sick and tired of the bias Motor Trend shows for the German built autos. Even worse is continued pussification of this magazine by the editorial staff. Should of had a pink cover to make the award complete.